


Stardew Valley in Pieces

by darningdreams



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Everyone Needs Hugs, Gender Neutral Farmer, Multi, random headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25023739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darningdreams/pseuds/darningdreams
Summary: Welcome to a collection of Stardew Valley drabbles and headcanons! I'm leaving this marked as complete since everything will be one-shots and snippets of valley life, but will likely add to it in the future. Rating is T just in case, and I'll change if necessary later. I try to keep my farmer gender neutral as much as possible, and all bachelor(ette) prompts are in alphabetical order so I don't play favorites. Enjoy!
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	Stardew Valley in Pieces

**Author's Note:**

> Hugs! Everyone needs hugs. How do the bachelor(ette)s go about hugging? 
> 
> First part is imagined as friends, after the --- is with a deeper relationship.

**Abby**

Even if she’s been out practicing her sword work and is sweaty as hell, Abigail pulls you into a firm hug the second you put that basket of jam down. She hugs around your arms, hardly giving you the chance to hug back before she’s telling you the latest trouble Sam has gotten into. She’s an energetic hugger, but also fond of shoulder nudges and leaning against you if you’re sitting down, and playing with your hair is just irresistible.

—

She’ll give you another hug before you go on your way, softer this time, with a smile to match—and that’s before you pull a chunk of amethyst out of your pocket. She squeals and pulls you in tight again, murmuring a ‘thank you’ in your ear and kissing your cheek before she goes back to practicing. You know you’ll get another hug later, but for the moment, her mind is thoroughly occupied.

###

**Alex**

You figured out his somewhat gender-specific interactions early on by watching him around the other villagers. He’ll go for fist bumps and the like with all the bros and simple hugs for everyone else—except Granny, who he hugs tight even though she looks rather frail. Bring him something he loves, and you’ll probably get an extra squeeze at the end of your hug, or the most awkward bro-hug on the planet.

—

Alex loves to surprise you with hugs at any time, but what’s not surprising is how he gives his best hugs after working out in the morning, when he’s energized and ready to take on the world. He’ll catch your fingers as you walk past and pull you in for a tight hug, messing with your hair with his free hand. Even though you think he won’t do it this time, he always tugs you back to him for a second hug before he lets go completely.

###

**Elliott**

He’s not really a hugger—he’s more likely to stick to handshakes or taking your hand and gently kissing it with a bow and a flourish. The first time Elliott _hugged_ you was one of those awkward ‘are we hugging or not’ moments, and you swear he turned beet red afterwards. After that, he’ll give a quick hug at festivals if you insist, and there _was_ that one time he picked you up and swung you around in the empty library after his book reading.

—

After you make him blush by handing him a bouquet, you realize Elliott is actually quite touch-starved. Now, he’ll hug you when he can tell it’s been a hard day, arms closing around you like a blanket and one hand stroking your hair gently. What he would rather do is sit with you by his side, in the shade of a tree, with your head in his lap as he reads to you. Winter nights are best spent cuddled up on the couch by the fireplace, scribbling poetry one-handed in his notebook as you doze off beside him—he can’t bear to move his other arm from where it’s wrapped around your shoulders.

###

**Emily**

You met Emily three days ago and she’s already hugged you five times. Getting your attention with a wave and a smile, she’ll throw her arms open and wrap you in a firm hug, wiggling your shoulders back and forth slightly. She pulls back but doesn’t let go, hands staying on your shoulders while she asks how you’re doing. The exception to this is if you’ve told her you’re not a huggy person—Emily respects your boundaries and will stick to briefly touching your arm or shoulder in greeting, but if you ever change your mind, she’s right there with the biggest hug imaginable.

—

The frequency of her hugs doesn’t change, but somehow their depth does. There’s an extra squeeze, or a lingering hand, or her fingers fussing with a new tear in your clothing that she needs to fix right that moment. You’ll never tire of the chatty hugs as she asks how your day has been, but the hugs you enjoy most are the ones that are followed by a soft smile and a moment of companionable silence before she lets go.

###

**Haley**

You’re unexpectedly pulled into a one-armed hug as Haley finds you walking in the woods, her camera held securely in the other hand, and a second later she’s asking you to pose next to that daffodil. She’s easily distracted, meaning you get a lot of pats on the arm and short squeezes, but her genuine hugs are practically candy-coated—though some days you could do without her squealing in your ear in excitement.

—

The hugs get even sweeter as you grow closer to Haley, and she isn’t afraid to pull you around by the arm and into a hug no matter who is nearby if you say something sweet. Others might eye-roll at you for a moment, but soon she’s pulling by you the hand into another store or off to get ice cream. The real treat is that occasional hug where you’re alone and Haley leans in to you for longer than usual, soft and sweet and comforting.

###

**Harvey**

The Doctor is a fan of handshakes or setting his hand on your shoulder for a brief squeeze, but that’s his anxiety over appropriate conduct with patients coming to the fore. Give him half a glass of wine and he starts opening up, one hand on your shoulder as he laughs at your latest awful pun. When you pull out another jar of pickles he lights up and hugs you around the shoulders tight for a second before realizing you’re in the middle of the saloon—now he’s blushing furiously.

—

Maybe the first few true hugs were awkward—not to mention that movie night—but once Harvey is sure of your boundaries, he will greet you with a hug whenever he sees you, unless he’s working when you stop by the clinic. His hugs are guaranteed to make you melt, just the right combination of firm and soft, and he loves to press his cheek to the crown of your head and breathe deeply. You can tell you comfort him as much as he comforts you.

###

**Leah**

It took her a bit to warm up to hugging you, but you get a solid hug from Leah whenever you see her at the saloon or a festival, now. If you happen to be walking her way with a piece of driftwood, you’ll see her eyes light up as she closes the gap and grins, pulling you into one of the friendliest feeling hugs you’ve ever experienced. They don’t last long, but they leave you in a good mood for the rest of the day.

—

Sometimes art just doesn’t want to work, and on those days you pull Leah close by the waist. She’ll let her head rest on your shoulder and sigh heavily, but a few moments later her arms will be wrapped around you tightly, and you can tell how much it means to her to have you there, believing in her no matter what. Lifting her head and wiping at the corner of one eye, she smudges sawdust all across her cheek, and soon you’re both laughing so hard you can’t help but hug again, supporting each other in body as well as spirit.

###

**Maru**

You know you must be looking pretty down when Maru slides over on the bench next to you. It’s always a surprise when her arms wrap around your shoulders, hands a little rough from whatever project she has going in her workshop. She leans her head against your cheek, humming under her breath as she squeezes tight for a moment. One arm stays around your shoulders as she sits back up, her own face lighting up as you find the energy for a smile.

—

Her other hand pulls your chin towards her—the better to see if you’ve been crying. If you have, she plants a quick kiss on your forehead and stands up, pulling you along by the hands. There’s rhubarb pie at home, and it seems like just the cure. Instead of more hugs, she’ll sit you down on the couch for a snuggle once you’ve finished the pie, either distracting you with her latest robot’s antics or letting you vent while she laces her fingers with yours.

###

**Penny**

It’s pretty obvious that Penny wants to hug you, but she’s a little worried about giving the wrong impression, at first. The hugs are feather-light and quick, with pats on the back instead of squeezes. When you bring her a poppy in the library one day, she gives you the sweetest hug, burying her face in your chest to hide her delight. Jas and Vince won’t stop talking about it for weeks, and Penny retreats back to her shy self for quite a while.

—

Soft hugs, no longer timid, are now a daily ritual, and you love how her arms wrap perfectly around your waist. Penny lets you brush stray hair out of her face and looks up at you with those grassy green eyes and those freckles that make you melt every time. A kiss to the forehead or the tip of her nose is guaranteed to make her giggle, and there’s nothing you love more than seeing a smile on Penny’s sweet face.

###

**Sam**

You could tell Sam lives for hugs from the very beginning, and now that you're friends? You’re not sure how he manages to catch you unawares as you walk through town, but he always does. Sam’s arms wrap around your waist from behind with a squeeze and for a moment he’s able to lift you off the ground, with your feet dangling. He chuckles ‘ _gotcha’_ in your ear as he sets you back down and you turn around to face him, sinking into a real hug. He can’t hold still for long, squeezing you tight and then pulling away, one hand moving to brush hair out of your face or fidget with the buttons on his jacket. He beams at you, and if you don’t continue on your way soon, he just might hug you again.

—

When he finally pulls away he doesn't go far, interlacing his fingers with yours and squeezing again, a hint of blush on his cheeks. Good luck with accomplishing your errands--he might not let go until dinner-time. If he does, it’s to slide an arm around your waist, or run a hand across your shoulders as you contemplate what seeds to buy, or to go fetch a pizza from the saloon for dinner.

###

**Sebastian**

You know he’s not a hugger, so it catches you off guard when Sebastian does so much as wrap an arm around your shoulder in a half-hug squeeze in the middle of the town square one day. There’s a sly grin on his face, black bangs obscuring it as they fall out from where he’d tucked them behind one ear. He might cuff you lightly on the shoulder when he pulls away, and you would pull him back in for a proper hug if you thought there was any chance he wouldn’t die of embarrassment. If you’ve known him for a while, he might hug you like he’ll hug Abby—firm and gentle, but quick.

—

Once you’ve grown close is when you’ll finally see his cuddly side—only in private, of course—and your patience is rewarded as Sebastian comes up behind you, arms wrapping gently around your waist. He sighs as you relax backwards into him, a happy hum escaping his lips. There are times when he is half-asleep at his computer and you can return that hug in kind, setting down a full mug of coffee nearby and wrapping your arms around his shoulders until you feel the tension ease slightly—it doesn’t fix everything, but you know it helps.

###

**Shane**

There are huggy drunks, and then there is Shane. You can tell he softens a little bit with each plate of pepper poppers you slide his way, but you know you’re going to have to wait for him to initiate anything. For a long time, all you get are occasional fist bumps or high fives. One night, he tried to nudge you gently with his shoulder and accidentally pushed you off your barstool. You knew he was finally warming up to you when he picked you back up off the floor and hugged you with a whispered apology instead of freaking out and leaving the bar, mortified.

—

You’ll get used to Shane’s bear hugs someday, but for now you’re still surprised and delighted by each and every one. He’s a sweet hugger when no one else is around, and likes to wrap his arms around your chest and lean his forehead against yours—if he can reach—with a hesitant but warm smile. He might always have problems believing you’d want to hug him, but he melts when you smile back and has to bury his head in the crook of your neck or against your shoulder to hide his embarrassment.


End file.
